Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: Willingness (02/21/05)
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TITLE: Whose Burden Is It? | Previous Challenge Entry
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02/27/05 -
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“No,” I grunted, determined to make it without dropping anything.
He got up from the chair and hurried over to ease my load. “Why don’t you just ask for help instead of struggling?”
It seemed a reasonable question, yet I didn’t know the answer. So often I have someone perfectly willing to lend a hand and yet I carry on in my struggle. Unfortunately my tendency to do that isn’t just in the physical realm; I often plod along in my spiritual life as well.
The Lord has promised to carry my burdens but in order for Him to carry them, I have to be willing to surrender the load – completely. Why is that so difficult?
So often the Lord will come alongside me and say, “Child, I can carry that for you.”
“Oh, no, no, Lord,” I answer hastily, “I’m alright.”
After all, wasn’t it Jesus who said, “Take up your cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23)? I used to be very literal about that statement, determining that I needed to pick up any burden that came my way and carry it. After I carried many loads that didn’t belong to me, I finally realized that’s not what Jesus meant.
It’s true that the Lord has given each of us a “cross” to bear. I like to think of it as our own personal assignment from God. We need to be willing to fulfill that assignment, no matter what it is, but we are permitted (and even encouraged) to use the Lord’s strength to accomplish it.
Everyone’s assignment is different. Some may have physical ailments to contend with; others will be asked to live with unsaved spouses, still others may be expected to inhabit Asia as missionaries. We are equipped to take up our “cross” and not expected or required to carry someone else’s. All those years that I was drooping under the weight of the world’s burdens, I was forgetting two important things.
First of all, I should not assume responsibility for burdens not intended for me. I need to be willing to let others who are equipped by God to handle those jobs handle them. The Lord has given us each specific gifts to be used for His glory. We should be satisfied with the gifts we’ve been given and also be willing to use them according to His will.
Secondly, I need to recognize my personal assignment from God, faithfully take on the task, but also be willing to let the Lord help me with my burden. Just because I’ve been asked to carry my cross, doesn’t mean I have to carry it alone.
God is ready and if I’m willing, He is able.
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